The Heartbeat
by meccha-chichhai
Summary: AM. Updated. Still need imagination to understand (stronger now). Inspirated by 'The Highlander' (& Conan,& the X File,&...) It's a story which is started by Watsuki Nobuhiro then robbed,restructured,& damaged happily by me. Still wanna continue to read?
1. The Heartbeat

Disclaimer: I won't just disclaim, but also thank to Watsuki Nobuhiro & friends of his, for the great lesson & inspiration.  
  
ready or not, here it comes.  
  
THE HEARTBEAT  
  
"You're beautiful."  
The man with hazel hair and a pair of blue azure eyes gazed at me, brilliantly. It seemed that various thoughts of prediction were running inside his pretty head, anticipating all what I would react except one thing.  
I laughed. That's the one thing he didn't predict.  
He sighed in defeated. I could heard he muttered under his breath. Something like 'I knew I shouldn't try this'.  
"Right. We knew you shouldn't change the topic." I said between chuckles. My voice was the sound of the most calm kindergarten teacher who's speaking to one of her pupils. I've heard this guy's used to called as 'Brad Pitt of MIT'. It is not a common skill you could find from the girls around his campus to speak so nonchalantly in front of him, I've heard the rumor. In fact, I never saw ANY girl who's not nervous being near around him.  
Then again, I have a good 'teacher'.  
"Sooo, where were we?" A dropped head on café's table. God. Is it so boring to being honest?  
"You love her." My absolute answer. "No,wait," I shook my head, "you are IN LOVE with her." How I loved to torture such a good looking young man.  
The nuclear research student before me hung his jaw for the seventh times since the conversation begun.  
"Now," Both of his hands pulled out his long bangs. Those eagle eyes blinked. "Where the hell that come from???" Almost a scream. He's depressing, mind you. Just look at his shakily a bit point finger, together with those knitted eyebrows, he reminded me of a poor lawyer who'll lost his case soon.  
"We're just talked about how immodest the uniform-skirt wore by most high school chicks, and I said that is so improper.." He continued. I didn't react.  
"And, and.. we're agreed that longer fashion actually can makes them more. well, graceful, and since you're wearing some of them, so I told you my opinion about that. But, no, you laughed at my face, accused me for getting runaway from the main topic. And now," he paused, "you, you.. suddenly burst an idea that I'm in love with Peony? What kind of psychologist are you!"  
No answer soon. I preferred to study his accusingly face. With a pout. How cute.  
"Yes?"  
I looked at him, fully pity. "Did I mention P-e-o-n-y?"  
I swore I could translate his annoyed narrowed eyes as, 'Arrrrrghh!! So I decided to add some spices. "And we're not doing any psychology business here."  
His skeptic eyes narrowed, signaled some threats to me. I didn't flinch for the slightest, instead gave him my big innocent grin. "I'm just a goood sweet friend. A listener."  
Surely that opened then closed mouth want to say something, if I didn't interrupted. "And I can see why suddenly some noisy high school chicks who just passed by drew attention from you, Mr. girl-is-not more- than-a-compound-of tiny atoms, since we both know there's a certain high school chick who wears the same skimpy skirt too." I took my triumphant now as a twitch of an eyebrow. "Am I wrong?" Somehow the said action brought me to remembered another 'eyebrow-twitcher'.  
Now it's my turn to demanded an answer.  
".kay."  
"Pardon?"  
"O-KAY!" He raised his hands, much for my victory. "I DO have those relation in my mind. But I'm just worrying about her honor. You know.. a woman's honor. She's deserved to be respected more than as a pair of flesh by those wild eyes."  
"I'm glad. You consider her as a woman." I was still on my half- smiling mode, but I had seriousness on my tone. "Isn't that's why you dragged me from office to this restaurant since the first time? To convince yourself? That the little girl who've been your neighbor since she's born , is no longer a child?"  
He gave me some looks. I could see a kind of confuse on them, something told me that he felt this was unbelieving. I wondered why. But my words still continued.  
"You can choose to marry her after she finish her school. But it would be not wise to make her wait without knowing your truly feeling. She's ready to hear. And can handle with that. Trust me. A girl is not only consist of tears, sparkling eyes, or high-pitched voice. There's patience and understanding too."  
My eyes were longing far across the window. I took the silence to framed a picture of old memory in my mind. It painted with some brush of pain. But also colored by warmth as it's main. A combination that never faded by time. I knew this gentleman's problem too well. "It is not you who are not ready yet, is it?"  
"Misao." I was not surprised by the heavy sound on his suddenly voice.  
" We're just know each other less than a week. But you're spelling out my life as if you've been watching on me for years." He shook his head a little. Hesitated, his eyes sneaked up on me, "Didn't I tell you that I just have a lack of sleep lately? Nothing more?"  
Nod, nod. Another smile. "Right, Eth. And we're trying to find out the reason."  
A third silence.  
"Or am I just imagining?" I was starting to think that maybe I just too much playing with comparison. Maybe this time the tale will be ended with a kind of brotherly affection. A poor cliché ending on age's matter.  
He sighed. Again. I think I could see an invisible steam evaporated from his mouth. "My. Can't believe I do this talk." There's a faint smile on his murmured lips. My gaze softened. He must be felt weird having speak in complete sentences, a lot of. I never saw that too before. I was just going to encourage him more when I heard his mockingly voice.  
"Don't tell me you've learnt so many cases like mine in your class before."  
I couldn't help but burst into a mean laughter, this time worse. His idea was so innocent, at least for me. Well, of course he didn't know that I claimed my study background just for 12 days, not long before I met him as partner on a project. But then, even being pretender is my job, on some areas I always give my self truly. So much for a ninja on twentieth century.  
"No. You can take it as my empathy."  
"Huh?" He seemed couldn't find any word to continue conversation anymore, so I decided to rose from my seat.  
I winked at him. "First hand experienced."  
I walked out from Poirot Café with a relieved breath, leaving a defeated love warrior to paid all of our food debt, but not before he woke up from his dumbfounded shape.  
Cold wind breezed, just like another afternoon autumn in Boston. Stepping on pedestrian path, I remembered the day when a 24 years old young man, known as a genius post-graduated student from a famous university, brought a petite younger woman inside our office. Then I found that it was her who insisted him to see his new working place. More seemed to me that she wanted to see his new working partners, the females one. So carefree, so persistent and always stick on wherever the embarrassed guy went, the 15 years old girl absolutely boiled up so many other women's blood there.  
He's some of iceblock, most of my friends said. Never paid attention to the oh-so-desperate adoration around him. An iceblock who'd better cast on some movies like The Matrix, kick off Reeves butt out, or play as Titan from Legend of The Fall, or pop up as Armani model on some man's magazine, anything but getting stuck as a serious scientist in one of FBI's laboratory.  
But that day, I swore he'd blushed badly so many times, reminded me of a certain old friend's hair's color. Iceblock or not, clear to me that he couldn't stay cold when a cute young lady named Peony is around.  
Then he came to me, a rare species who's able to confront him with sane eyes, for some life advice. Soundlessly, I smiled. "Ethan. You're such a love-sick puppy!"  
"Ethan who?"  
This was a very good example of time, if you ever found a situation on Japanese comic with a long syllables of ... 'siiiiiiiiiiing' above the character's head.  
Followed as usually, a sound of gulping can be heard. Then sweatdrop.  
Mine. Certainly not his, a tall dark haired onmitsu with that damn hypnotic voice who leaned against the dark wall so innocently behind me. Don't. Protest. I knew every inch of his pose now even with closed eyes. A habit. This was a very annoying habit. Not to mention the heart attack I always got at the very first second. Why I always fail to detect his presence before it's too late? Like I'm suppose to?  
And, grrrr. Why that just one of question among another thousand.  
"Nande. ." My inhaling felt so sharp. "Nande? Nandeee... ??!!?" There's a helplessly feeling in my almost squeak. I turned around to faced a satisfy look from Aoshi's smirk. I tried to glare. Didn't work. This guy's the master.  
Those people should think wiser to judge Ethan Blackwood as an iceblock. Here, I could show them the king of North Pole. Show only of course. Not for touch.  
...  
...  
A paused seemed would last for eternity.  
An air that typically hung whenever he's being around.  
A heartbeat that I never felt for another man.  
It's been more than a century.  
But still I was throbbing.  
Now, he's not doing it on purpose, was he? For such a simple thing.  
"Don't you miss to be a love-sick puppy, Shinomori-okusan?"  
Damn him. He was.  
######  
  
AN: Hff. Nothing much to say. 'Kay, another disclaim: .Thanks to 'The Highlander' director, forget your name, sorry. Sure the idea of immortal people who can't be dead except their heads chopped and live thru' centuries with various life and job (depend on the era), is definitely not mine, originally. .Also to Aoyama Gosho (who? the Meitantei Conan's author, of course), I like your café, so let me borrow it a while ^_~ ok? THAT'S ALL. THANKS FOR READ. BYEE. .er, wait. Beside disclaimer, I do make a claimer too. All the grammatical mistakes are mine!! And the terrible vocabularies too. Yahooo! Oh yeah, also the stupidity if there's no FBI Laboratory's branch in Boston. Heheheh. 


	2. Time Limit 1

Disclaimer: Would you mind to turn this page and back to chapter 1,please? Aaw, thanks (now if nobody sue me for RK, maybe there'll be someone do for my laziness)  
  
today's episode.  
  
TIME LIMIT (1)  
  
"What if we apart someday?"  
"I guess.... that'll be, different."  
  
******  
  
Egg. Delicious. And troublesome. What's the problem? I glared at them. Four tiny supposed-to-be-chicken round shape dudes. I wanted them to be my breakfast. Our breakfast. But it looked like they decided to boil when supper comes.  
BLOOP.  
I blinked. There's single reaction upon the water. Finally. I got back my optimism. But sadly, it didn't continued. My knuckles begun to make noisy tapping again on the nearest cupboard.  
I was going to plunged my spoon into the pot hoping it would help the process faster miraculously, when I felt a mild tremble right on my left hip. Picked it up quickly, the number displayed on my hand phone's screen didn't surprise me.  
"Morning!" If there's something left to armed me when things are in the worst shape, then it must be my talent to kept genki. But then, yeah, how many women in earth who's able to still pretty at five in the morning? Or dawn, since it's late autumn now. Unfortunately, it seemed that five in the morning has been chosen. Chosen as favorite time to start business in the spy world. At least that was my CEO's choice.  
"Clear voice. Good." A plain tone across the line booth. I remembered, he'd called me once when I wasn't pretty.  
"Smooth as highway, Sir." I answered irritably. "Told you I'll be ready at seven. I'm already in ironed suits even now."  
"I see. So, everything's alright?"  
I threw a glance at the stove corner. My answer betrayed me a little, "I think so."  
My boss gave his farewell words. "Just checking." Right. Must be in case if a kunoichi on duty was helpless against 4 stubborn eggs in the morning, wasn't it? Mission delayed. So would my account's filling. Then no egg.  
The thought encouraged my impatience. Before I could think twice, my hand already moved to gave a slap on the side of metal part of the tool. The poor stove made an achingly sound.  
I gasped. That was loud, wasn't it?  
Exactly that. When I turned my head I found that I wasn't alone anymore in the room. Set his up halfway in the kitchen's entrance, a scramble haired man starred at me with a question look. Nothing I could do but starred at him back.  
"It's the eggs." Trying my best to be in my innocent voice, my finger pointed forward accusingly.  
My husband nodded. He walked approaching me. He didn't say anything nor doubted my alibi to accidentally woke him up. He just peered casually toward the eggs inside the pot. And much for my annoying, the water started to boiled. Hard.  
We looked each other.  
"You just come in time!" My lips defended in pout. Being caught in a silly moment by him, usually brought back my childish habit. Now I must be blushed too. Hated it.  
His lips didn't smile, but those eyes did. Even though he must be felt so dead sleepy. The paperwork was just pushed him to kept awake until four thirty.  
He rubbed his eyes. So my presumption was right. Soundlessly, he moved to the kitchen-table beside me then grabbed a chair before sat on it. Yawning. I felt a warmth spreading my heart. It never changed since there's still a shogun lead our country, the bakumatsu era. He's always cute when looked awful.  
"Aoshi." I put my hand a top the twin-kodachi master's shoulder.  
"Hm?"  
"There's," I paused checking the item, "boiled egg. And this," my hand touched the edge of a rather bowl-shaped pan, " your favorite soup." I spoke with a bit proud of a common wife. Our life really needed some touch of commonness, you know. If a simple homemade chicken soup could do a favor, then I would manage that.  
"I, you know, as the plan said.. got to go at five thirty. I can't have breakfast with you. Sorry...? just put them into microwave before eat, okay?" I quickly stored the chicken soup into a tupperware and was going to open our refrigerator, when my hand had been stopped by another's. Aoshi gave me his intently gaze.  
"You shouldn't cook either."  
My face reddened once more hearing the depth of his voice. I shook my head. I hesitated a little before turned to joined him sitting beside his chair. "Here." I reached a small spoon from the table center. "Tell me if something wrong before I leave."  
He took the spoon I offered from my hand.  
"Misao." My gaze followed his movement. He scooped his spoon so gently into the soup. I watched as he lifted the lukewarm liquid entered his mouth. My husband closed his eyes. Then opened them for me. "Back home. Please."  
So automatically, I smiled. "The soup is fine?" Aoshi nodded. I pulled his left hand then kissed the backside for a couple minutes. Savoring his morning smell. The smell of my man. "I'm praying I will."  
  
TBC  
####  
  
AN: People learnt to be a grateful person, since they could catch information from their parents, teachers, neighbors, or any strangers who taught them those lessons. Maybe I'm not a good student, but a little try to practice won't hurt, I think. Here we go: Ehm*cough* . Thank, thank you 'miroslavishot11'-san! My very first reviewer! ^_^ Whoever you are, you did a big favor for an amateur writer who still even stammering on English!! Uum,yeah, thanks anyway. (btw, did I already make mistake on spelling your nickname?) *sigh*  
  
Also a word to 'dynast'-san: Big thinking, pal. Actually, I didn't mean to have a chaptered story. It supposed to be ONE-SHOT (oh yeah). But then. I should practice to be a real writer isn't it? Arigatoo.  
  
Answers to 'sonia'-san: No, dear, nothing's wrong with your questions. Well, see, Misao here is not simply a young woman we used to know. She grew up (a lot), still as an onmitsu or secret ninja agent, which brought her into spying-investigating-detecting- pretending-sniffing (well, sorta :P).... stuff like that. And when she met a young man named Ethan, who worked at the same place with her, she felt familiar with his problem. Ethan (24 years old) fallin'lov with Peony (15), but has no gut to continue cause their age-gap. Now I'm sure you know why she felt familiar ^_~ kay? Soooo, Misao help him. Why? Dunno. Maybe because she's senior with such things. Or maybe bcoz she wanna be a heroin to Peony (hueheheh.sorry.kidding). OK, last answer. First, Misao was talking to Ethan in a café. Then, she walked out and met Aoshi 'accidentally' in the street. Eeto.., I hope that's enough?  
  
(Oh, my. My explanation is longer than the story itself..!!! And here I'm trying hard to not stepping into Mary Sue's trap. but slipped into another. They don't even understand my fic! *run away desperately then squat in the corner. sniffle* ..now I begin to doubt myself, what's people like Ethan & Peony doing here anyway? GO AWAY! jama,jama,jama,jama! LEAVE! Syuh,syuh.. -_-; Okay, that's the thing I shouldn't say. So much for being a mature)  
  
Thanks anyway, Sonia  
  
p.s: actually I need a help on story editing. See? Bad displayed. I can't make the paragraph, the space, etc just exactly what I wsant. Anyone? 


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